What's wrong with Mikael
by CherylB1964
Summary: The Mikaelson's are confused by their father who for some reason is NOT trying to kill them. It seems a certain angel didn't die when stabbed in the back. He just found a new vessel.
1. Chapter 1

The four Mikaelson males stared in stunned silence at the door Mikael had just dragged a struggling Marcel though with a casual "Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt him. After all he is like a son to you Niklaus."

Finn reached out and grabbed Nik's arm as he made to follow. "I don't know what it is but Father has somehow changed. He will not hurt Marcel, he is more concerned with Rebekah's whereabouts. I think that Mother somehow angered him with whatever she did to her."

Kol shifted uneasily drawing Elijah's notice. "Kol, is there something that you wish to say to us?"

The youngest of Mikael's sons looked fearfully at Klaus before turning back to face Elijah. He shifted closer to Finn hoping his eldest brother could protect from the wrath of his other brothers.

Mikael had shown up with Finn at his side, smiling pleasantly at all of his sons including Niklaus before looking around and asking about Rebekah's whereabouts. When he heard of how Esther had performed a spell, intending to transfer Rebekah into Camille; he had muttered something about fool's marrying harridans and latched onto Marcel and dragged him out the door; which is how the four Mikaelson males ended up staring confusedly at the French doors opening to the courtyard.

"We're still waiting Kol." Nik prompted. "Why does the mention of Rebekah make you uneasy brother?"

"I am trying to figure out how to avoid a dagger in the heart from Elijah." Kol admitted, while Klaus and Elijah looked at each other in confusion.

"When have I ever used the daggers, Kol?" Elijah asked. "That is our brother's way, not mine."

"Rebekah and Klaus tend to fight at times. I think that he will be more forgiving than you will." Kol said. "I prepared a body for Rebekah, only the body I prepared for her is stuck in a house, doomed to never leave it for all eternity thanks to a witch's curse."

Elijah snarled as he lunged for Kol; only stopping when Hayley appeared out of thin air holding onto Hope. "Elijah wait!"

"Hayley, how are you here?" Klaus queried. "We left you in Arkansas!"

"There's something going on with Mikael. He's different." Hayley said obviously confused. "He came to the house and said he was cleaning up a mess then somehow I was in the bayou. He did something. The wolves can control their change now. He said something like 'family doesn't end with blood'. The next thing I know I'm here."

"As I said, Father has somehow, changed." Finn repeated.

"Finn is right." Hayley added. "He practically fawned over Hope before promising that he would see to it that no one in New Orleans would be a threat to her."

"Suddenly our father has become the loving patriarch?" Klaus scoffed. "It will take more than this to convince me."

* * *

Marcel swayed on his feet for a moment before glaring at Mikael. "What now? You drag me off to kill me where Klaus won't see?"

"Not at all Marcellus, as I said before; you are like a son to Niklaus." The vampire hunter replied. "Niklaus needs his family; and Hope needs an older brother to look up to and to protect her."

"What game are you playing Mikael?" Marcel asked.

"Well for starters let's dispense with that name. Mikael makes my own father look like father of the year. He may have abandoned us but he has never hunted us down with the absolute zeal that Mikael does his own children." Mikael looked at the vampire. "You can call me Balthazar. Mikael is quite happily subdued hunting you all down in a locked corner of his mind."

"Who the hell are you?" Marcel asked.

"As I said, my name is Balthazar; and I am an angel of the Lord. Poor excuse for one; but an angel none the less." Balthazar answered. "To make a long story short, Mikael had a twin brother, Finn who was believed to have disappeared during a raid. Finn became my vessel and recent events led to his demise. I've spent the last few years searching for one of Finn's bloodline that I could take as a suitable replacement. Imagine my surprise when I came across no other than Mikael; identical to Finn in every way."

"So you just jumped into Mikael's body?" Marcel snorted. "Sounds witchy to me."

"Not at all, Mikael gave me permission to take over his body. We angels are very big on consent." Balthazar said. "Even if it wasn't exactly 'informed' consent. When He saw that I had the power to smite his children he didn't hesitate. It also revealed to me just how awful he's been over the years. Having a bit of experience myself with bad parenting, I'm opting to clean up his mess and save the life of an innocent babe."

"Why?" Marcel asked.

"I'm an angel, it's what we do when we do things right. Besides I'd just like to have the chance to fix at least one family." Balthazar said. "But first, we need to get Rebekah out of the creepy old mansion."

Marcel turned around to see the building behind him. "That's going to be easier said than done. That was a wicked spell; Klaus got one of the elders to cast it." As they entered.

"Oh the spell is nothing. The problem is that I have to put the young lady's soul back into her body. Disorienting, to say the least." Balthazar grinned as Rebekah's own body appeared on a chaise. "Now if you would be so kind as to help me locate the young lady; we can get started."


	2. Chapter 2

"Rebekah!" Marcel yelled as he ran up the stairs to the second floor. "Beks, where are you?"

Marcel grunted as he found himself grabbed by the arm and dragged into a bedroom before the door was closed and a hand covered his mouth. He looked at the girl in front of him. "Rebekah?"

"Shhh! We are not alone!" She said looking fearfully at the door. "Mikael."

"I know, don't worry." Marcel said. "Mikael is not Mikael; or at least not the Mikael you're used to. He came here to find you and take you back home. It's a long story; he wants to tell you all himself."

"Our father only has only one goal, Marcel." Rebekah stated.

"Do you trust me, Beks?" When she nodded, Marcel continued. "Then trust me now. Mikael is not going to hurt you; he was in the same room with Klaus and didn't even think about harming him. He brought Hayley and Hope back. He came here to fix what Esther did. Just trust him."

"Indeed young lady." Balthazar said from where he leaned against the wall by the window. The angel reached into his pocket pulling out the dreaded white oak stake. With a twirl and a flourish he offered it to Marcel. "I am here to help you. Your young off again, on again beau holds the one thing that can kill Mikael. If I harm you in any way I'm sure that he will use it."

Balthazar went over and opened the door. "Now if you would be so kind as to join me in the day parlor, I believe that we can get you back into your own body and then deal with this joke masquerading as witch's curse."

* * *

Aiden grinned as the fur retracted from his hand and it became human once again.

"So Mikael gave you the ability to control your change? How?" Elijah asked. "He never showed any warlock powers that I can remember. He just controlled our mother and her powers."

"Not even Mother could change the very nature of a werewolf without something to focus her magic." Kol said. "That's why she created the moonlight rings in the first place. I don't know of any witch who could do this."

"You never met our loving Aunt Dahlia." Finn said. "But I don't think that even she would be powerful enough to do this."

"And yet we now have our hands full of werewolves with no link to the moon." Klaus said as he refilled his tumbler of bourbon.

"It means we can protect Hope." Aiden offered. "She is part werewolf and the daughter of our female Alpha."

"Yes, I believe that is the only thing keeping my brother somewhat reasonable at this point." Elijah noted. "But we are not the only vampires in the quarter; Marcel has a few people left." Elijah focused on Josh.

"Yeah, right. Don't look at me!" Josh said. "I had a demonstration already of how far Klaus will go to protect Hope. Plus Marcel has made it clear that if Hope is ever in New Orleans; we'd all better make sure that nothing happens to her or it's our asses."

"So, Hope has the protection of the wolves and the vampires." Elijah noted. "That only leaves witches to worry about. Tell me Kol, where is our little Harvest girl?"

"Davina? I haven't seen her since I came back with the white oak stake." Kol answered.

"Speaking of which," Klaus said as he drained his glass. "I believe it to be best stored away from the inquisitive little fingers of our teenage witch." Klaus turned toward the table by Rebekah's closed coffin where he had laid it. "Bloody hell! It's gone!"

* * *

"Now Marcel as I have said this will be a disorienting experience and I should add quite painful." Balthazar waved his hands and both bodies were tied down to the chairs that were sitting in. "I will literally have to separate young Rebekah's soul from the witch she has been put into and then force that same soul into her original body."

Balthazar began rolling up his sleeve. "It would be best if she has something to bite on during the process. Your belt perhaps?"

Marcel watched as Balthazar forced his hand into the witch's chest as she screamed in agony and then frowned. "There's no blood."

"Of course not, it is not her physical body that I am invading; but her spiritual one if you will." Balthazar rooted around for a moment. "I am searching for her soul, a small spark that is at the very center of her spirit. Ahh, there you are Rebekah." Balthazar withdrew his hand, a small ball of pulsing light cradled in his palm as the witch fell silent and gasped for breath.

"Is that Rebekah's soul?" Marcel asked drawn to the pulsing ball of light.

"Yes, and now to put it back where it belongs." Balthazar turned to Rebekah's original body. "This will be a bit less painful."

Marcel looked on as Balthazar forced his hand and the ball of light into Rebekah's chest. Rebekah's body arched, her eyes flew open and she drew in a deep breath seizing for a moment before falling limp as Balthazar withdrew his hand.

"She will regain consciousness momentarily." Balthazar turned to the witch who was looking around confused. "Now as for you my dear, I think that you have spent long enough in this house; but you New Orleans witches tend to take holding a grudge as some twisted sort of badge of honor. So, I think it's best if you simply moved on." Balthazar pressed two fingers to the witch's forehead.

"What was all that about?" Marcel asked.

"This place is crawling with witch's that have gotten stuck here in the past century." Balthazar explained. "Most of them are borderline vengeful ghosts if they haven't already crossed the line. Take Rebekah home; I'll deal with this mess and join you later."

"You know there's a curse on this place." Marcel said. "They can't leave."

"I have seen what passes for witches around here. They are no match for a cherub, much less a warrior of God." Balthazar said. "Now take her home and let the family know that they will soon have an explanation for tonight's events."


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus was in one of his full blown 'I hate Mikael' rages when the door opened letting in Marcel and Rebekah. All heads turned toward the female original that looked decidedly unhappy.

Giving no thought to her other brother's tantrum she stalked over to Kol and slapped him hard enough to knock him to the floor. "You little bastard! I should dagger you myself!"

Klaus, stunned by his sister's seemingly magical reappearance when they had just placed her in her coffin, and the sight of the youngest original sprawled on the floor massaging his jaw; fell silent staring at the unbelievable sight of his little sister threatening to dagger someone.

"Well I knew that was coming." Marcel said to break the silence. Walking across the room, he held the dreaded stake out to Klaus. "I thought you might want this back, Mikael took it to convince Rebekah that he meant her no harm."

"Are you saying Mikael had the stake in his hand and didn't try to kill you?" Elijah questioned.

'That's exactly what I mean." Marcel said. "When we found Rebekah, he gave it to me and told her that he was going to put her back in her own body. I guess he thought Rebekah seeing me holding it would make her trust him."

"He undid mother's spell somehow and here I am, back in my own body." Rebekah said. "But he kept insisting that I call him Balthazar. He said that he would explain it; but he only wanted to explain it once so he would tell us all at the same time."

"Indeed, I will." Balthazar said as he appeared next to the small dry bar in the corner holding a bottle of green tinted liquor. "Marcel you know the basics and I'm sure Klaus will fill you in on the details later. If you wouldn't mind taking the werewolf and the young vampire with you to keep an eye on young Hope; I'd like to speak to Hayley, and Mikael's children."

Elijah looked at the man pouring green liquor into a group of wine glasses. "Who are you? It's quite obvious that you are not our father."

Balthazar looked up, "This body is indeed that of your father Mikael; but being that he is a first rate arse; I have exercised my option to take full control." Balthazar arranged the glasses on a tray. "Finn, make yourself useful and pass out the drinks."

As Finn took the tray; Balthazar settled himself in an armchair and took a sip of the liquid. "I will say this for New Orleans; it always did have the best Absinthe in America. And now on to the reason for this family meeting; this may be Mikael's body but I am Balthazar, an angel of the Lord. I lost my last vessel who was your father's twin brother Finn, and yes you were named in his honor, and needed a replacement. So I approached your father, you have my sympathies for growing up under that bastard's rule by the way, and offered him a proposition, that he agree to be my new vessel. Being that I have the power to smite you all with a thought, he agreed. I believe he was under the impression that he would be in control. I can only hope the group of you proves to be smarter than the fool who sired you."

"So you are an angel." Klaus said sarcastically. "And why pray tell would an angel bother himself with us. We are the original vampires, evil creatures, monsters."

Balthazar chuckled. "Original? Yes you are. Original vampires? Not even close. I don't think that you could even be considered true vampires; no more than Hayley there is a true werewolf. The real thing has avoided New Orleans and the lower portions of the state of Louisiana for the last 300 years."

"If we aren't werewolves and vampires; then what are we?" Hayley asked. We turn into wolves, drink blood to survive. That is not exactly human behavior is it?"

"I never said that you were human, but you are descended from humans. You were all human once; and your little pack of wolves in the bayou has all human DNA. True werewolves and vampires have a different DNA pattern." Balthazar explained. "You are vampires and werewolves because of a witch's curse; the real vampires and werewolves are the obscene creations of a creature that calls herself Eve, the mother of all abominations."

"It is true that our mother placed this curse upon us at our father's urging." Elijah said. "They thought to protect us from werewolves near our village."

"Yes, I am familiar with the story from Mikael's memory." Balthazar said swirling the absinthe in his glass. "But your father was mistaken in believing that the wolves living so close to you were responsible for young Henrik's death. You see, the king of those wolves had declared all of Esther's children under his personal protection." He swallowed the last of his drink. "I believe that you can all figure out the reason why with no help from me."

"I was with him!" Klaus spat out. "I saw the beast!"

"Yes you did, but that wolf was not of your father's pack, he was one of Eve's line. Your real father and his pack hunted the guilty one down and tore him apart in retaliation." Balthazar stood up. "And Esther at Mikael's urging cursed you all with vampirism. The thing is; no witch can lay a curse like that without demonic help."

"Are you saying that our mother was working with a demon?" Kol asked.

"Yes but that is not why I have taken an interest in you." Balthazar sat back down. "I'm not the only angel who finds the fact that New Orleans and the southern part of the state suddenly became a supernatural dead zone upon your arrival a curious coincidence."

"New Orleans is crawling with witches and spirits." Finn said.

"Yes, yes. I'm well aware of your plethora of earth witches and ghosts; what you don't have is any of Eve's children here." Balthazar said. "Vampires, werewolves, rugarus, wendigoes, wraiths; they are thriving everywhere but here. And the only explanation is this family. Pseudo vampires and werewolves, hybrids and now even an infant who adds inherited demonic witch powers into the mix."

"Hope?" Hayley questioned fearfully.

"Indeed, the birth of that young lady has sent a ripple throughout the supernatural community. Esther and Dahlia are the least of your problems. The king of Hell himself is aware of her birth by now. The potential power of that child is unimaginable; the last thing we want is for him to get his hands on her, and then there are Eve's children who will more than likely grow bold enough out of desperation to harm her out of self-preservation. So I would suggest that you send up a few prayers of gratitude that the child now has a guardian angel.


	4. Chapter 4

"So the creepy crawlies are avoiding Mystic Falls also?" Balthazar asked speaking to an unknown party on Elijah's cellphone. "Ahh they are not avoiding all of central Virginia; just the town is populated with our cursed ones."

Balthazar continued after a pause. "I also thought of that. I'm not sure that the connections are important enough to use them against the Originals. The most powerful leverage one could have against them is currently spitting carrot flavored baby food all over her uncle's pristine white dress shirt."

"Yes, I think having you visit New Orleans would be a wonderful idea." Balthazar said. "You can more easily find the demonically assisted witches hiding among the earth witches than I can. Yes, we are quite lucky the Levi weren't able to find a way out before Purgatory crumbled. I'll see you soon and introduce you to the family."

Balthazar disconnected the call and handed the phone to Elijah who had given up on getting the baby food into Hope. "Perhaps if you prepared fresh puree of real food for her; she would eat it. That jarred slop is disgusting."

"I do agree with you, it is disgusting." Elijah said hand handed Hope to Balthazar. Going over to the sink he wet a cloth with warm water and began trying to get the stain out of his shirt.

"Oh bloody hell!" Balthazar waved his hand at Elijah instantly cleaning his shirt. "Here take the little mud monkey. I have much to do before our visitor arrives."

"And exactly who is it that you have invited to come visit?" Elijah asked.

"I believe you may already be acquainted with him, or at least his legend." Balthazar said with a grin and disappeared.

* * *

Marcel made his way to the bar at Rousseau's and slid onto a stool waiting for Cami to notice him. When she turned around he gave her a smile as she slid a glass of bourbon in front of him. He took a sip before setting the glass back down. "I wasn't sure you would be here. I figured you would be holed up somewhere hiding from Finn."

"I admit that was my plan this morning." She said. "But Finn paid me a visit along with Mikael. Both of them were acting strange. They insisted that I go about my normal business and I wasn't in any danger from them. What's even stranger; is that I believed them. I almost thought I was being compelled but Davina checked. There's no evidence of compulsion."

"Yeah, believe it or not; you are safe. Finn is at the compound right now; and Mikael has had a busy morning." Marcel finished his drink and sat the glass down tapping the rim to ask for a refill. "He found Rebekah and brought her home. Mikael is not Mikael. He wants to explain to everyone what is going on; and he wants to do it with a meeting between the factions. He sent me to ask that you close the place tonight for a private party so we can hold the meeting here. You do own it now you know?"

"Wait, what do you mean I own it?" Cami asked shocked.

"Mikael had Elijah pull a few strings down at city hall." Marcel said. "Mikael somehow found a will left by Sophie Deveraux, leaving the restaurant to you."

Cami shook her head. "I'd like to know how that happened since Sophie didn't have a will. I spoke to her about it after Jane Ann's death. She said it would go to Monique."

"You know there's an old saying you might want to think about right now;" Marcel said. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Besides, you can ask Mikael about it tonight."

* * *

"Jack, we both need to be there. I'm a hybrid but you are the Alpha." Hayley explained. "Whatever Mikael did broke your link to the moon; our pack can control the change."

"Hayley, I learned my lesson about dealing with Klaus and his family." Jackson said. "Too many of us are dead and the pack followed the witches and look at the mess we've got to deal with."

"Mikael has a plan to help us fix it." Hayley said. "He is going to let us know what it is tonight."

"You're going to have to do better than that Hayley." Jackson said. "Klaus hates his father and after hearing a bit about the story whispered in the Quarter, and what Ansel told me; I can't say that I blame him."

"Jack please just come tonight and hear him out. He's doing this because Hope is in danger." Hayley said. "She's a hybrid Jack, part wolf. For her sake and mine; hear him out. If you feel like it's not in the pack's best interest after that you can walk out; I won't argue with you."

Jack huffed out a breath. "Fine, but he'd better do one hell of a job convincing me. He'd better come up with a miracle."

* * *

Davina opened the door to the crypt that held Kol's lab. "Kol? Are you here?"

"Back here!" Kol called out from the depths. Davina made her way back and rounded a shelf to find Kol smoothing a paste onto his bruised cheek.

"What happened?" she asked taking the paste from Kol and applying it to the bruise.

"I forgot that my sister doesn't take being the butt of a joke very well." Kol said. "She didn't think me sending her into the body of one of the witches stuck in the old Dowager cottage was amusing. This was her way of letting me know just how unamused she was."

"I don't think you asked me to meet you here just because Rebekah gave you a shiner." Davina said as she applied the last of the paste and sat the bowl down.

"No I didn't. I asked you here because there is an important meeting taking place tonight and you need to be there." Kol said. "All the factions of the Quarter need to be represented."

"Finn is in charge of the coven. I'm not a part of it anymore." Davina said.

"But you are a Harvest girl and you are still practicing magic." Finn said as he made his way out of the shadows. "So if you are not a part of the coven; you need to be there to represent yourself. It's time to go; we don't want to be late."

* * *

Oliver was running through a green forest following the trail of a deer when two strangers suddenly appeared in front him. All four paws dug into the leafy forest floor to cause him to skid to a stop in front of them.

"Good doggie!" the shorter man said. "But we need you standing on two feet. You have a very important job to do tonight. You are going to show your pack a miracle."

Oliver suddenly found himself in his human form as the other stranger handed him a bundle of clothes. "Might help if you don't show up naked as the day you were born brother. Not to mention those skeeters in the bayou will have a feast. I'm not even that bloodthirsty." The stranger smiled showing a second set of needle sharp teeth."


	5. Chapter 5

Hayley sat at the bar a glass of wine sat in front of her. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear Marcel slide onto the stool next to her.

"You know; I can remember Elijah telling me that my face would get stuck like that when I was a kid. You want to tell me what has you brooding when all of the vampires, werewolves and witches in the Quarter are all gathered under one roof with no bloodshed?" He asked.

"I know; we're all getting along for the moment; and it's Mikael's doing." Hayley took a sip of her wine. "I would call it a miracle."

"Well, considering who Mikael claims to be now; miracles should be right up his alley." Marcel said. "And considering what I saw happen with Rebekah; I have to believe the guy is on the up and up."

"Well I hope he's got another one on tap." Hayley spun the bar stool around to glare at Jackson who had parked himself in a corner with the pack. "That's what it will take to get through to him."

"Given the history of this little piece of real estate; I don't hold it against your young Alpha for being skeptical." Balthazar said as he appeared noiselessly at her side. "And I do indeed have a miracle or two up my sleeve."

Balthazar grabbed a glass of wine and a spoon and made his way over to a small raised platform used when the restaurant hosted the Quarter's street musicians. Tapping the spoon against his glass, he gathered the attention of the gathered crowd.

"I must say getting the lot of you under one roof was much easier than I thought it would be. I know that you all have questions and they will be answered before you leave here tonight, but first, a bit of family business. As they say,' keep your friends close and your enemies closer'."

Esther found herself standing on the stage. "For those of you who do not recognize this harridan, her name is Esther and she used to be to be a powerful witch. Now she is a simple newborn vampire; laid low by her own children; Niklaus and Rebekah."

"Whoa! You didn't tell me that you were adopting a couple of tricksters!" Balthazar was suddenly standing next to another man who appeared out of thin air. This man was shorter with blonde hair and eyes the color of bourbon mixed with gold.

"You were supposed to wait until I got around to introducing you, you know?" Balthazar said with a long suffering sigh.

"Me wait when there are a couple of tricksters handing out just desserts? And this trick is classic!" the man said cheerfully. "Turning their mother into a vampire after she did the same thing to them. I like these two, and they have the feel of Vikings about them. You had to know I would get impatient."

"You were created impatient and have only grown worse over the eons." Balthazar said then turned back to his audience. "I'm sure that everyone in this building is familiar with this annoying person next to me. He is known in Pagan circles as Loki, the Norse mischief maker but he also happens to be one of my ancient, decrepit, senile, archangel brothers; Gabriel."

"Saint Gabriel the Archangel, you muttonhead." Gabriel corrected. "This is New Orleans and they have a long standing voodoo heritage. I also happen to be counted among the loa; but damned if I can remember what exactly it is I'm supposed to be the loa of."

"I stand corrected." Balthazar said dryly. "Now if you don't mind, I did promise a miracle to my 'children' and their gathered acquaintances."

"Oh right," Gabriel snapped his fingers and two men appeared on the stage next to him. One was easily recognized; the werewolf Oliver.

The other looked around at the gathering. "The French Quarter? Oh well, at least it is Louisiana."

"I'm sure that you all recognize Oliver, The one that looks like he's about to set sail on a shrimping vessel is Benjamin Lafitte, a vampire." Balthazar said.

"But not like any vampire that you've ever met." Gabriel added. "I know Balthazar explained to some of you about the different species of vampire and werewolf. Benny here is a child of Eve. His DNA is different than any vampire in this room. However he's not typical of Eve's issue, we think that he will be an asset to you in the coming months to teach you about his kind. You've already ran across Eve's werewolf issue, The Guerra wolves."

"The Guerra wolves have been in New Orleans for a long time." Marcel noted. "I never noticed anything different about them."

"Actually Bucko, you did. Not consciously, but on an unconscious level you noted something off with them." Gabriel said. "It's what moved you to take action against them. Unfortunately the other werewolves got caught up in it never realizing they were different."

"Francesca and the others were human." Hayley said. "I watched her trigger the curse myself."

"No you watched the effect of a witch lifting a curse that she had laid on them. Francesca was born a werewolf and cursed to remain human like her mother before her." Balthazar said. "Tell me Jackson, while your pack were stuck in your wolf forms for 28 days at a time; did it never occur to you that there were no Guerra wolves suffering the same affliction?"

Jackson frowned for a moment. "We thought that they were all dead."

"Finally!" Gabriel said as he licked whipped crème off the end of a Twinkie. "We get to the root of the problem. You actually thought while in your wolf form."

"What?" Jackson asked confused.

"That's what's different between us and them." Oliver said. "We change into wolves but we can still think like people."

"Exactly, all of you maintain the ability to reason even when you shift or in the case of the vampires, feed." Balthazar said. "You are not ruled by your, shall we say, baser nature."

"It's almost impossible for me to control my bloodlust." Benny said. "I have to feed often and only from blood bags. If I didn't a small cut could send me into a frenzy. But I've had time to build up control."

"Wolves stalk, kill and eat their victim's hearts. There has been a handful over the centuries that have been able to control themselves; but that is out of millions of Eve's brats. They tend to gather the notice of human hunters who make a habit of killing them.

And now here in New Orleans you not only have vampires and wolves with a survival mechanism that Eve's brats don't have; you have a very special child who is a combination of vampire, werewolf and witch with the strengths of all these creatures but lacking their one great weakness."

"Imagine what that child represents." Balthazar said. "She would draw the attention of Heaven, Hell and everything in between."

"And most of them would see her as simply a source of power." Gabriel said finishing his Twinkie. "So you have Oliver back, Diego is waiting at the compound with Rebekah guarding little Hope. And now; Balthazar and I need to have a private word with Camille and Davina."


	6. Chapter 6

The two angels each holding the arm of one of the girls suddenly appeared in the sanctuary of a familiar church. Cami looked around sadly, memories of her uncle rising in her mind.

"Balthazar, how about you take Davina upstairs." Gabriel suggested. "I think Camille might want a bit of privacy for this."

"Indeed." Balthazar agreed. "I'll try to talk some sense into the little girl while you take care of Camille."

Gabriel watched as Balthazar guided the young witch up to the attic. "Now Camille; we need to have a serious talk about your choices moving forward but first, there's someone who wants to talk to you." He nodded to someone behind her.

Cami turned around and gasped. "Uncle Kieran?"

"Cami." The deceased priest looked torn; like he wanted to wrap his arms around his niece but was unsure if she would let him.

"He is your uncle. The hex is gone; it died when Klaus killed him." Gabriel said. Cami smiled and threw herself into her uncle's arms.

"Don't hold it against him. He was protecting you." Kieran said. "And he freed me of the hex. Klaus can be hateful and vindictive; but what he did, he did for you. He does care for you. He and I both wanted you out of the mess here in the city. He compelled you to leave at my request."

"I have to get you back soon." Gabriel said. "I really don't want any of them up there to realize that you're not holding mass right now. Your nephew can only stall them for so long."

"Cami, listen; I want you out of this mess but I know it's not going to happen now." Kieran said. "But Gabriel knows some people. All that stuff I had hidden? I want you to give it to them. There are some things in that room that destroy the world if they fall into the wrong hands. That hiding place isn't very secure. These people have a secure place; they have been collecting things like the dark items for centuries and keeping them safe."

"Where?" Camille asked.

"It's best that you don't know." Gabriel said. "I will make sure the items get transferred safely. But for now you need to say your goodbyes. I have to take Kieran back."

"But…"

"Cami, I have to go back, Sean and I have a church and we're happy." Kieran hugged her tightly. "We miss you; but one day you'll walk in that sanctuary and see us again. Just don't make it too soon, kiddo." Kieran pressed a kiss to his niece's forehead as he disappeared.

"We know the last time you were with him didn't end well." Gabriel explained. "More importantly; he knew. He couldn't rest without putting things right between you. Now he can be happy and let go of his life here."

"So I'm supposed to just turn over an arsenal my uncle protected for his entire life to you?" Camille asked.

"Nope." Gabriel said as he snapped up a couple of crème brulees. "I already had a trusted family member clean the place out and deliver it all to the Men of Letters. He texted me while you were talking to your uncle to let me know that the two people responsible for the items got it all."

Gabriel snapped his fingers producing a cell phone and fiddling with the buttons.

"Hey! That's my phone!" Camille said making a grab for it.

Gabriel held on and pushed a few more buttons. "Yep, and I just programmed it with two numbers, Castiel my brother who follows the Men of Letters around like a lost puppy; and Moose of Letters who happens to be the younger of the two. Just call him Moose; you don't need to know his name."

He handed the phone back to Camille. "I gave you that number for emergency use only: and I mean last resort, the world is ending yesterday emergencies. You don't want Moose and his brother coming to New Orleans. I can guarantee you they will leave nothing but a trail of bodies behind them; most of those bodies will be of your friends. They are hunters and if there is one thing that I know about those two, they can and will find a way to kill your 'original' vampires too."

* * *

"Now little witch, we are going to have a discussion about your obsession with trying to kill Niklaus." Balthazar said. "It stops now; end of discussion."

"That isn't a discussion; it's a demand." Davina said. "And it's not going to stop me; Klaus is going to pay for everything he has done to me just as soon as I figure out how to do it and keep my friends alive!"

Balthazar sighed and waved his hand knocking Davina into a chair and pinning her there. "You don't seem to be able to take a hint do you child? You have been given hint after hint, every time one of your little schemes backfires in your face; but you just keep plugging away."

Davina struggled to stand and then growled "Let me go!"

Balthazar pulled over a chair and sat down manifesting a glass of wine. "Silence! Children should be seen and not heard. Now you are going to listen to me. You my dear are an Earth witch. Your powers are a gift from Mother Nature herself. You abused those powers when you interfered with the witches to stop the Harvest. Contrary to what your elders were selling; she is not big on sacrifice. When one of your kind died, the power was meant to flow back to her. Your coven welcomed a demon powered witch into your midst and suddenly you have the harvest. And your coven began stealing power meant for a goddess. Are you following me so far?"

Davina glared at the angel.

"I'll take that as a yes." Balthazar said and then continued.

"Now for reasons unknown to me; but probably known to the sugar addict downstairs that I call big brother, Mother Nature with the help of a Goddess by the name of Aphrodite arranged things so that Klaus, a vampire werewolf hybrid, impregnated a werewolf resulting in the oh so adorable little Hope. Hope is a hybrid; but being that her grandmother Esther, that you met earlier, is a witch; Hope is also part witch and destined to rule this city one day. In that child you have all the supernatural factions joined under one leader."

Balthazar stopped to take a sip of his wine. "There are plans for Camille; her line will lead the human faction. Once we've eliminated the most pressing threats, Camille will be trained to take her place among the humans charged with guarding such dangerous knowledge as the existence of witches, vampires and other supernatural creatures."

Balthazar stood up and walked over to the window. "Now, Hope has to be kept safe and protected; no one is going to work harder to keep that child safe than her father. In order for him to do that he needs to be alive. We need him alive but more importantly Mother Nature needs him alive; that means you drop your childish obsession or she will revoke the gifts that she has given you and the line of New Orleans witches comes to an abrupt end."

Balthazar turned around to face the young witch. "And I suggest to take close note of this little tidbit I believe that even you realize that young Kol's interest in you has only developed because of the power you command; take that away and you aren't worth much to him. After all he does have a type, you know?"

Davina was glaring daggers at Balthazar. The angel gave a look of disgust and waved his hand. "I believe that was all I had to say on the subject."

"And what about Klaus? I can't defend myself?" She spat.

"Klaus is not your concern; I will be having a similar discussion with him." Balthazar said. "Now go and sin no more or whatever that benediction is."

* * *

"I've got to get back to Mystic Falls. I've got a few more things to check on there." Gabriel said.

"Are you sure that involving Castiel's little pets even to this tiny little bit is a wise move?" Balthazar asked.

"Camille is an obvious choice to rebuild the Men of Letters." Gabriel said. "She will be able to take the things she has to learn in stride, just like our two already pegged sheriffs. If nothing else, it will give the Winchesters something to keep their minds off of New Orleans for now."

"There is that." Balthazar chuckled. "You do know that at the rate we're going, we are going to have to start calling it the Women of Letters."

"Yep! I can say that I honestly look forward to referring to Dean as a woman." Gabriel chuckled and snapped his fingers, disappearing.


	7. Chapter 7

Balthazar appeared on the balcony and looked around the courtyard. He had been standing there for a moment trying to decide what to tackle first when he heard footsteps behind him. Pasting on a smile he turned around. "Young Marcellus; you have a question, 'little warrior'?"

"I wanted to say thank you. Diego can be hotheaded at times but he is loyal." Marcel started. "But he's not the only one I lost that we could use."

"Ah, and the elephant in the room named Thierry raises his head." Balthazar noted. "You are wondering why we didn't bring him back."

"It did cross my mind." Marcel said as he glanced over the crowd that had gathered in the courtyard.

With Cami and Davina having already been dealt with; it was strictly the Mikaelson family and the vampires. The werewolves had opted to return to the bayou and celebrate Ollie's resurrection.

"I know that he was your most trusted but; he wasn't sure that he could be loyal to Niklaus." Balthazar started. "And he is happy where he is. Your friend is in heaven; he has been reunited with his witchy girlfriend. Gabriel yanked them both from Purgatory before it crumbled."

Marcel looked down, "I don't think I'll get over him not being here; but if he's happy." Marcel sighed. "I'm glad he made it."

"Somehow, I thought you would be." Balthazar said. "Now, we have quite the job in front of us. I know that you and Niklaus have a, shall we say, complex relationship. However; I need someone who can keep an eye on things here during the times that I cannot be here."

"You plan on leaving?" Marcel asked.

"You all pulled together and defeated one witch and her Eve born wolf pack." Balthazar said. "You know that you have another one by the name of Dahlia waiting in the wings. Gabriel and I have had several discussions about what is going on here. We both agree that neither Esther nor Dahlia have the power or the ambition to pull off what is going on."

"What is going on?" Marcel asked.

"Quite possibly the apocalypse, again." Balthazar said. "Only this time it's not the biblical one. That one was handled a few years ago by two brothers who managed to put our eldest brothers and the two most powerful angels, Michael and Lucifer in a permanent time out. I'm afraid with Lucifer out of the picture; the inmates are running the asylum in hell."

"Well if these brothers are so good; why haven't you asked for their help." Marcel asked. "If they can kick the asses of two archangels, witches should be a walk in the park for them."

"Yes, I'm sure that it would be." Balthazar answered. "The problem is that Gabriel and I both fear the Winchesters won't stop with just the witches. If it's not human, or named Castiel; it's on the hit list. They would wipe out most of the quarter."

"And you think we would let them?" Marcel scoffed.

"Believe me; you won't be able to stop them. Not even God himself can control those two." Balthazar snarked. "But for the moment; I need to get a few things straight among 'my children', namely Klaus and Kol."

"Here," Rebekah said as she handed a glass of blood to Benny. "We keep a stocked fridge in the kitchen."

"Thank you, but you could have skipped the glass." Benny said "I'm more of a 'from the bag kind of man'. Now I'm here to help you all learn the differences between my kind and your kind. We have weaknesses that you don't have as I said. But you have one weakness that we don't; without those rings of yours; well let's just say sun tanning equals flash fried."

"So the sun doesn't bother you?" Josh asked. "Great."

"I didn't say that," Benny said. "We are nocturnal, just like you are and unless a vampire is very determined, they are going to be catching some zzzs when the sun comes up. They're also going to be sluggish. Just like you can maintain control over yourselves while feeding; you run around in full sunlight fully alert. We're faster than humans; but you're faster than us."

"Which means we can hold our own." Marcel said as he made his way downstairs and over to Klaus' side. "Balthazar wants to talk to you, Klaus. I think you should hear him out. There's a lot more going on here than just witches wanting a war between vampires and wolves."

"Well, I suppose I should hear what the 'angel' has to say before I feed him that stake Mikael has been so eager to feed to me over the years." Klaus said as he stood up.

Marcel shook his head as he watched Klaus pull out the white oak stake and make his way to the stairs. "I think your brother is about to get knocked down a peg or two." When Elijah made to follow; Marcel put a hand on his shoulder. "The only thing at risk is his pride. They're counting on his determination to protect hope. He can't do that if he's dead."

Jackson raised a mason jar of whiskey in a toast. "To Ollie! Welcome back!" The Alpha grinned at his lifelong friend. "I'm glad you're back, it wasn't the same without you."

Ollie forced a smile and nodded. "You're glad but I know that I let the pack down. I did some things I know were wrong. So I know a lot of you didn't miss me while I was gone."

"You made some bad choices." Aiden said. "But you were trying to help the pack. We've all screwed up. You're the one who made us think twice about working with the witches. Those angels brought you back; they gave us control over the change."

"You're family Ollie," Hayley said. "This pack is a family; I wouldn't have come for you if you weren't. Ansel wouldn't have come for you. We stick together."

"We're gonna have to. There's a lot coming at us." Oliver said.

"What? What's coming at us Ollie?" Hayley asked.

"I don't remember. They said I won't remember until I need to." Oliver said and took a drink from his glass. "But I know it has something to do with Hayley's baby. That baby is special, she's important. That's why they had everyone there tonight. I think they need us all together, allied up so the whole quarter is willing to go after the same goal?"

"What goal, Ollie?" Jackson asked.

"I don't remember." Oliver said. "But I do know that if we don't all work together to whatever it is, it's gonna be bad. Not just for the Quarter and the vampires; but for all of us."


	8. Chapter 8

Balthazar had his back turned toward the door pouring two glasses bourbon when Klaus entered the room; white oak stake at the ready. "So you want to get the unpleasantness over with first." The angel turned around and spread his arms inviting the original to attack. "Well get on with it then. We have things to discuss about your little princess, Hope."

"Don't you dare try to sway me by using Hope." Klaus said. "I went through all the agonies of hell thanks to you and mother. All I ever wanted was to make you proud; just once to have you treat me like you treated Elijah or Finn. I wanted you to treat me like your son. All I ever was to you was the weakling or the beast."

"Yes your father was a crappy example of one." Balthazar said. "So come on, stab me. Get it out of your system so that you can concentrate on protecting your family."

"I won't make the same mistakes with Hope that you made with me!" Klaus said as he lunged forward driving the stake into the angel's heart. Balthazar looked at Klaus unconcerned as the original stepped back confused as to why the stake didn't affect him.

"Feel better now?" Balthazar asked as he looked down at the end of the stake protruding from his chest. "Well I have to say that your aim is spot on." Balthazar pulled the stake from his body and sat it on the bar. "Now sit down. We'll have a drink and discuss this situation."

The angel picked up the two glasses and handed one to the confused Klaus. "Your father is a waste of oxygen; I can relate since my own father isn't exactly father of the year. I would hope that you don't make the same mistake with your daughter that your own father made with you; but you've already been down that road once with young Marcellus."

"Marcellus has nothing to do with this." Klaus said.

"Oh but he does. Marcellus is as much your son as Hope is your daughter no matter he is not the fruit of your loins." Balthazar said as he settled himself into a chair. "In fact he was your only hope for a child for many decades was he not? When you saw him that day long ago; you saw a young boy treated as miserably as you had been and you wanted to give him a different childhood; the upbringing that you were denied. You became his father in every way except by birth."

Balthazar sipped his bourbon. "And you succeeded in that. You raised him into a man to be proud of; self-assured, determined, with a sense of family that has carried over to every facet of his life. The problem is that you have found it difficult to accept the man that you molded him into. Like you he is strong in his convictions and willing to fight for them. He is a strong leader but with compassion, a trait I must say, that he learned from you."

"Marcel did remind me of myself at one point." Klaus admitted. "But he abandoned us!"

"He thought that you were dead, just as you thought that he was dead." Balthazar said. "He took the ruins of this city and built a community from the ruins. He knew how much this city meant to you, to this family. That is something that you instilled in him."

Balthazar went to the bar and came back with the bottle; he refilled the glasses and sat down. "Your clashes with Marcel stem from the fact that he has become his own man. He no longer needs you, but it has not stopped him from respecting you and dare I say, loving you. You are the father who chose to take him into your life and give him a place in your life; when his own saw him as nothing but a piece of property. When children grow up; they all reach a point where a parent must let go and let them live their lives. You did an admirable job in raising Marcel, now let him be his own man; in his eyes you will always be his father unless you damage the relationship as Mikael did with you. You need to accept this; because one day Hope will be an adult and you will have to let her go to live her life also."

Klaus simply stared at the angel and downed his drink. "I take it that all of this is coming to a point?"

"No one is going to abandon you Klaus. Haven't you learned that yet?" Balthazar asked. "Marcel made this city into something that you could be proud of and welcomed you with open arms. Rebekah, who had left New Orleans, came back and took your daughter into her keeping to protect her, for you. Elijah has stayed by your side through all challenges. Kol has shown his ass seven ways to Sunday just to get your attention; and Finn, while not exactly your biggest fan, still sees you as his brother and is willing to do whatever is necessary for the good of the family. They are not going to abandon you; for all that you fight like cats and dogs at times. That is what families do; just look at my family. We've threatened to destroy the world with our squabbles."

"You act like you know our motivations." Klaus said.

"Well let's say that if fate had chosen to put your family in the middle of the apocalypse, we wouldn't be here." Balthazar chuckled. "In fact you remind me of the archangels. Finn is very much like Michael, imposing a rigid moral code that he expects us all to follow. You are like Lucifer, living outside of those rules; but charming everyone you can and becoming vengeful when you cannot; because when you get down to it, it's simply because you want everyone to love you."

Klaus refilled the two drinks. "I don't think that any of us can be compared to angels. Although I admit; that if you are going to compare any of us I am an appropriate one to be compared to the devil."

"Lucifer was once the most beloved of all angels." Balthazar countered. "To continue, Elijah is your Gabriel; the noble peacekeeper trying to maintain the relationship between Michael, Lucifer, and all the angels taking sides in their disagreements. Then that brings me to Kol, ever off in his own world but wanting someone to pay attention to him. That would be Raphael.

Eventually Michael managed to toss Lucifer into a cage in the deepest pits of hell, Gabriel threw his hands up in disgust and walked away from heaven, and Raphael finally got the attention he wanted all along as he and Michael were the only archangels left in heaven. We lost sight of the mission that we had been given by our father; and the world began spinning out of control. Demons walking the Earth, Eve's bastards growing strong enough to take root and prey on humanity, and angels more concerned with following Michael's moral code to the letter than watch over humanity as we were meant to. Until a single angel, a soldier like me, broke ranks and rebelled. He fell for humanity after seeing how determined two humans were to save this hunk of rock. Lucifer was released, Gabriel was drawn out of hiding, and consequences occurred that we neither expected nor were prepared for including a civil war in Heaven."

"How is it all this happened and no one knew about it?" Klaus asked.

"Most people in this world are blind. You know this, it's how you have escaped notice for centuries." Balthazar said. "Gabriel and I believe that Hope is one of the consequences. Shortly after her conception; Purgatory became unstable, and finally was destroyed. There were things in Purgatory other than Eve's children, something called the Leviathan; they were destroyed along with Purgatory."

"And this concerns Hope how?" Klaus asked.

"Hope is unique. She is vampire, werewolf, and witch all in one." Balthazar said. "But she is not of Eve's line, nor will her magical abilities come from demons. She has unbelievable potential. I understand that Celeste or Sabine as she was known at the time had a premonition of what Hope will accomplish. She said that Hope would destroy the witches, and she will destroy the demon powered witches. What Sabine did not reveal is that she is going to be instrumental in destroying all of Eve's children. Your daughter is not just a princess, she is destined to be the queen of all the cursed."


	9. Chapter 9

"How, pray tell, did I know that I would find the two of you with your heads together." Balthazar said as he appeared in the crypt where Kol had his hidden little sorcery lab. "Cooking up some scheme against Niklaus, I presume?"

"Balthazar made his way over to the shelf picking up a box and opening it to take out the silver dagger. "Remember Davina, you have been given your final warning. As for you Kol; no more scheming against Klaus, or any of your siblings. This family needs to be united to face what is to come. If you cannot put your need to be a pain in the ass aside; well let's just say, I can relieve you of the burden of your mortality…permanently."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Kol asked.

"Take it however you wish. But have no doubt that I can end you with a thought." Balthazar said. "Now I have spoken to Klaus; he understands that whatever issues you have had in the past, they mean nothing compared to that adorable little eat, sleep, poop machine known as Hope Mikaelson. The two of you would do well to internalize that fact also."

"I won't do anything to Klaus as long as he doesn't try anything." Davina said.

"There now, that wasn't so difficult now was it?" Balthazar said. "We have a few plans to go over, I will expect you tonight at 6pm sharp Kol. And I'll just hold onto this little letter opener so you don't feel tempted." Balthazar twirled the dagger and made it vanish.

* * *

"So we know why he wants all of the Quarter on the same page." Finn said. "Do we know what his plan is?"

"I'm sure he will tell us in time." Rebekah said. "I'd like to know who else besides Aunt Dahlia he thinks we should worry about."

"As would I." Elijah said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "Whoever the third witch is, I fear that Balthazar's concern means we have even greater cause for concern."

"Ah, the prodigal son joins us." Klaus said as Marcel entered the dining room. "How are things in the Quarter this afternoon?"

"Quiet. Diego is keeping his eyes open." Marcel said. "He's also keeping an eye on the Cauldron." Marcel reached into his pocket pulling out a sheet of paper. "We can't really tell if witch is demon powered but; Balthazar gave me this. He said it would help if we came across a demon."

"And how exactly are we supposed to know when we come across one?" Rebekah asked. "He made it sound like they would look like anyone."

"They can possess anyone." Elijah corrected as he took the sheet from Marcel. "I suppose we could just walk down the street uttering 'Christo' to everyone we encounter. It seems that demons automatically react to that name. There are other things we can look for; crop failures, lightning storms and so on."

"And," Marcel said pulling out a second sheet. "Salt and holy water hurt them. We can even send the bastards back to hell. This is an exorcism."

"Then we aren't completely powerless." Finn stood up and laid his napkin on his plate. "I'm meeting with the coven. I looked through mother's grimoire. I found a few promising spells that might be of some help."

"Good." Klaus said. "Marcel, I'll need you to stay with Rebekah and Hope. Elijah and I have a meeting with the wolves."

"Yes, I am a bit more diplomatic than you." Elijah said. "And I'm sure than many of them remember my offering my assistance after Francesca's suicide bomber. If they are going to stand with us; we'll need to establish a relationship with the Alpha independent of Hayley's status. They'll need to see that their queen and their Alpha are united in their alliance with us."

"No problem." Marcel said. "Balthazar should be back by tonight."

* * *

Dahlia sat at an outdoor diner in Biloxi, Mississippi. The seat across from her was occupied by a young woman. "Your sister failed. The young woman said.

"Of course she failed." Dahlia asked. "Did you think that I meant for her to succeed? I planned for her to fail. She may not be as strong as I am, but she was strong enough to be a thorn in my side. Now she is not."

"You intended for her children to destroy her?" The demon questioned.

"I had hoped that Niklaus' hatred of his mother would have led to her death, but she is neutralized." Dahlia explained. "As a vampire, she is denied access to her magic and you took care of your compatriot that was feeding my sister her power. Esther can do nothing at this point.

"Do you forget that Esther's children carry magic in their very blood?" The demon asked.

"I forget nothing. Niklaus and Elijah had not manifested their power before she cursed them and Rebekah was capable of only the most basic spell. Finn is powerful as is Kol, but they do not have a demon to call on. Freya is dead." Dahlia said. "Esther's spawn is no threat to me or to my plans."

"Have you come up with a plan to get your hands on the brat yet?" The demon asked. "Time grows short. The king will realize your ambitions soon. He will not be merciful to those of us who helped you."

"Yes, he will be quite beside himself shall that happen." Dahlia said. "That is why you are going to convince your followers that New Orleans is the place to be. I'm sure that somewhere in that city you will find a stupid human willing to trade their soul for their heart's desire."

"That is a dangerous move that could well backfire you know?" The demon pointed out her eyes flashing yellow. "The king, while not the best of friends with the Winchesters, has an understanding with them. He has helped them before and they have in turn assisted him at times."

"That my dear is why you are going to be discreet." Dahlia said. "Do nothing to bring their attention to New Orleans. Once the city is secured and I have my hands on young Hope, I will erase them from this existence. We have a deal Azazel."

"Yes we do." Azazel said. "But I suggest that you tread lightly. You do not want to raise their suspicions."

Azazel stood up and tossed a few bills on the table. The witch was powerful, but foolish. Azazel was not a fool. Yes he owed his existence to the witch. It was an old spell performed centuries ago that allowed him to be resurrected after being shot with the Colt. Azazel had another chance to implement his own plans. As for the witch; she was useful for the moment; but Azazel would drag her to hell himself once her usefulness ended.


	10. Chapter 10

Klaus pulled the car to a stop along the dirt road. As he and Elijah got out; Klaus looked around the woods. "I begin to wonder if the bayou is the safest place for the wolves."

"They can't be found here." Balthazar said as he appeared in front of them. "Or rather they won't be able to be found once Gabriel is done with his warding."

"And what pray tell is your brother doing that is going to make them so safe?" Klaus asked.

"The same thing that I will be doing to the family and the vampires this evening." Balthazar said. "Now come along let's get this meeting over with shall we?"

The trio made their way to the wolves' encampment to find Gabriel standing next to a shirtless Oliver.

"It's an anti-possession sigil. We made sure that Oliver had it before he returned." Gabriel said. "As long as the tattoo remains intact; he can't be possessed by any demon. But that's just the start of his custom improvements. He should probably avoid any chest x-rays from now on. I don't think that he'd be able to explain the Enochian spell etched into his ribs."

"Taking a page from Cassie's book are we?" Balthazar said as he stepped into the clearing.

"Come on bro, you and I both know that most of the host are bunch of winged ass monkeys." Gabriel snorted. "Dad only had so much awesome to pass around. Just be glad you managed to get in on it."

"What did you do to him?" Jackson demanded. "What kind of spell is on his ribs?"

"Not a witch's spell; that's for sure. It's a cloaking spell." Balthazar answered.

"Yep." Gabriel agreed. "Ollie here is hidden from both heaven and hell. Did I mention my siblings can be great big bags of dicks? Until we know exactly who is involved in this plot and whether or not angels are league with these demons and witches; it's best that they can't find you."

Niklaus rubbed his chest remembering the pain of the Enochian spell being etched into his ribs as Balthazar removing his hand from a screaming Marcus. Rebekah helped Marcus sit up. "Not the most pleasant experience, is it?" Niklaus pointed out.

"No, it's not." Marcus agreed. "But if it protects us; it's worth it."

"It will keep you hidden from both heaven and hell." Balthazar said. "And from the witches hunting you; as long as they use demonic powers in the search."

Elijah looked to the corner where Esther sat in her chair holding Hope. "And what of our loving mother?"

"She too has been protected." Balthazar said.

"I find myself less concerned about her protection than I am of her presence." Elijah said.

"As am I." Niklaus added. "She only recently sought my daughter's life and you encourage us to place Hope in her arms."

"Gabriel has taken care to wipe her mind of everything except the fact that Hope is her granddaughter." Balthazar explained. "Esther will be the doting grandmother that she would have been if not for Dahlia's curse. And a doting grandmother will be just as dangerous in defense of her grandchild as she would of her own child."

"So do we know anything more about the other witch we have to worry about?" Marcus asked. "We haven't anything much in the quarter to tell us anything."

"I seriously doubt that you will find anything before she wants you to. Knowing how old Dahlia is and where she gets her power from; we are looking at one that has been around for a long time and probably in the same body for some time." Balthazar said.

"She would have to be a vampire." Kol said. "Even our mother had to jump bodies."

"There are spells out there much more powerful than anything Dahlia and your mother could have cooked up. Spells that carry power unimagined." Balthazar reasoned. "Even ones that can bestow immortality. In the hands of a powerful witch; well I don't think I need to explain it to you. After all, Mikael's children were made immortal; weren't they?"

The demon entered the room and schooled his features before making his presence known. It would not do to anger this woman. This witch held the ear of the King himself. He had seen more than once the way she manipulated the highest demon in Hell to do her bidding with nothing more than the words "Fergus, my son." And Crowley would stop and reconsider his position only to reverse it in favor of what this woman wanted.

"I take it you have something to report." She said as she sat plying needle on a piece of fabric.

"The witch Esther is witch no longer. Her children make her into a vampire." The demon answered.

"And Dahlia?" The woman asked.

"She has yet to make her move. It will be much harder now." The demon went on to explain. "Angels have involved themselves in the situation."

"As I recall when we first met; you claimed that you were more than the equal of any angel meant to walk the earth."

"So I did; and so I am." The demon said. "At the time I told you that no ARCHangel was meant to walk the earth. But one does; Gabriel who has walked hidden among the pagans for more generations than you can claim. He no longer hides; he all but shouts his presence in our faces. I have no wish to die. Not even your son wants to tangle with an archangel."

"Well, then we'll just have to find a wee distraction." The woman said. "We will snatch the child while his back is turned."

"You will have to do it yourself." The demon said. "You have access to my power, Rowena; but I won't risk my life for you; Crowley's mother or not."


End file.
